European activists demand: lakes and forests should have legal rights

A conservation group argues that nature should gain legal personhood status in EU law. This would allow citizens to hold both companies and states accountable in court for environmental damage. The movement has already found support in several European local authorities.

European conservationists have launched a campaign aimed at granting lakes, forests and other natural ecosystems legal personhood status in European Union law. According to activists, this legal framework would create the possibility of taking legal action in court against anyone who damages nature – whether a company or a state.

Why legal personhood?

The core argument of movement supporters is the idea that current environmental protection mechanisms are insufficient because nature itself cannot defend itself. If a river or forested area had legal personhood, citizens and organisations could represent it in court and demand compensation for damage from polluters – similar to how people represent children or those lacking legal capacity.

This idea is not entirely new – New Zealand granted the Whanganui River legal rights in 2017, and Ecuador's constitution has recognised the rights of nature since 2008. In Europe, some local authorities have already taken steps in this direction, recognising for example the rights of certain rivers or forests in their local legislation.

EU-level change requires broad support

Implementing such a change at the European Union level would, however, be considerably more complex. It would require either amendments to EU founding treaties or significant case law that would interpret existing legislation in a new way. Activists hope that grassroots public debate will pressure legislators to take the issue more seriously.

Environmental law scholars are divided on the movement. Some experts consider the idea a promising tool for more effective nature protection, while others warn of practical implementation challenges – for instance, how to precisely define who would be considered the legal representative of nature and what damages could be measured and compensated.